


Blanket

by Dellefox



Series: Pridecember 2020 [7]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Atem hating the cold, Domestic Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Kaiba spoiling atem, M/M, Prideshipping, SO MUCH FLUFF, Slice of Life, YGOPridecember2020, ygopridecember
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:53:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27962594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dellefox/pseuds/Dellefox
Summary: The extreme measures Atem has taken to stay warm during a particularly harsh Domino City winter result in an impromptu shopping date with Seto. General prideshipping domestic fluff. For day 7 of YGOPridecember. Prompt: Blanket
Relationships: Atem/Kaiba Seto, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi | Atem
Series: Pridecember 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037481
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	Blanket

**Author's Note:**

> Day 7 of Pridecember! Yes, I'm a day behind. I had work I needed to catch up on and I was feeling burnout. oof. 
> 
> Anywho, enjoy more prideshipping domestic fluff as Seto spoils his beloved Pharaoh in an attempt to keep him warm.

Atem loathed winter.

Having been born and raised in the harsh Egyptian desert, the former Pharaoh was accustomed to dry, scorching, dusty heat. But Domino City was wet, muggy, and _cold._

Oh, the cold! It seeped into his tiny body and chilled him to the bone. There weren’t enough layers in the world to keep it out. And the _snow!_ Who in Ra’s name allowed this abomination to happen? Was cold air not enough? Why must frozen water now fall from the sky? Cold, slushy ice that caused road closures and vehicle accidents and, when too much of it piled up, broke tree branches or crushed old, rickety houses. 

He especially could not understand why children enjoyed it, other than perhaps the bonus day off from school when the busses couldn’t run. But they did! They cheered when Domino became blanketed in the stuff. They made these oddly-shaped totems called ‘snowmen’ that were decorated with rocks and scarves(ruining a _perfectly_ good piece of clothing!) and the occasional carrot nose(a _horrendous_ waste of food!). They built igloos and forts and pressed it into spherical shapes and then they _hurled_ them at each other! _Why_?

The game shop was never warm enough now. The others were fine(and is Jounouchi actually _sweating?_ Granted, he was moving inventory in the storeroom but still…). Atem tended to his shop duties in a thick sweatshirt over many layers of shirts, and when he wasn’t actively helping customers or sorting inventory he sat behind the register, wrapped tightly in a fluffy blanket. By the end of the day his teeth would be chattering, and the drive back to the mansion wasn’t long enough for the car heater and the heated seats to thaw him out(Bless Isono for trying, and also for having the bravery to drive over streets covered in _literal ice!)_.

Winter evenings were spent in nearly scalding hot baths that left his tan skin bright red, and he’d stay in the tub until he stopped shivering. He’d throw on thick flannel pajamas, followed by a robe, and spend the remainder of the day wrapped up in a comforter like a burrito. He’d crank up the thermostat in the bedroom until Seto got home and turned it back down(“It feels like a damn desert in here!” “I was _born_ in a desert, Seto! It’s what makes me comfortable!”).

Seto sent him to a doctor out of concern, but Atem received a clean bill of health and a diagnosis of not having acclimated to the weather, with a prognosis of “give it time, and your body might slowly adjust.” But Atem’s patience was wearing thin, his Egyptian DNA would _never_ adjust, and the thermostat was becoming the cause of many fights. Atem was tired of being cold, and Seto was tired of the bedroom feeling like an oven.

Watching Atem suffer through the freezing weather was difficult for Seto. He knew Atem wasn’t exaggerating. Some evenings he’d crawl shivering into bed to cuddle against Seto for warmth and he’d try his best to warm Atem’s icy body in his own. He’d wrap himself around Atem as much as he could and hold him tight until he started sweating and had to pull away. It took a long time for the accumulated body heat under the covers to lull Atem to sleep. It made it even more difficult than it already was for Seto to extricate himself from his sleeping boyfriend in the morning, knowing his absence would remove a significant amount of heat from the covers.

Atem woke up one Saturday morning to find Seto had decided not to go to the office and was instead sipping at a mug of black coffee and reading Forbes.

“Is everything alright?” Atem asked. “You never take Saturdays off.”

“I cleared my schedule today.” Seto set the coffee down and looked up at his boyfriend. “I had an emergency.”

“For an emergency you’re awfully calm.” Atem poured himself some coffee. Seto pretended not to notice the egregious amount of cream Atem dumped into the mug. At least he didn’t add sugar.

“I have it handled,” Seto said coolly. “Let me know when you’re fully awake and dressed. We’re going shopping today.”

Atem raised an eyebrow. “But you just said…wait.” He raised an eyebrow. “Am _I_ the emergency?”

Seto rolled his eyes. “Clearly you require warmer clothing to withstand _actual_ winters and I have been remiss in providing for you. I also don’t wish to die of heat stroke in my sleep because somebody keeps messing with the temperature of the bedroom.”

“Seto, I’ll be fine,” Atem insisted. “You spoil me enough as it is. This hardly qualifies as an emergency.”

“I don’t work eighteen-hour days for my inamorato to be cold. You’re nearly literally boiling yourself nightly to warm up, Atem. I can’t even touch the bathwater, you run it so hot. And I don’t get enough time with you as it is, I’d rather not spend it arguing with you over the thermostat.”

“Fine,” Atem said. “But you have to get something for yourself too.”

“Hn.”

He knew better than to argue. Seto could not be moved once his mind was set to something. He did love it when Seto bought and did nice things for him, but he also didn’t want to be a burden to him or dependent on him. So he usually went shopping for himself, and had set about earning his own money by working at the game shop and advancing his dueling career. But he also understood Seto’s need to provide for his family, and that included him now. Seto kicked himself in horrible ways when he felt like their needs weren’t being met. What he wanted most in life was for Seto to be happy, and if that meant having nice(and usually expensive) gifts lavished upon him, he could handle that(and it wasn’t as if he _didn’t_ like it…). And Seto was right. His demanding work schedule left little time to spend together outside of bed.

He finished his coffee and got dressed in as many layers as he could while still looking fashionable, and they headed out. Though they moved quickly, he was shivering by the time he got to the already-running car(Thank Ra for remote start features! Oh the joys of technology!) and Seto had every vent in the car pointed at Atem before he could even get his seatbelt on. He stopped shivering by the time they got to Downtown.

Seto seemed to be set on a specific store, so Atem quietly followed Seto’s lead, keeping their fingers tightly laced together and staying as close as he could to Seto’s warmth.

The boutique was sleek and modern, the displays and clothing racks lined with scarves, coats, hats, gloves, robes, and socks, and along the back wall there were an array of chargers, USB cables, and batteries. Atem was momentarily confused until he read the garment tag of one of the coats.

These had _heaters_ sewn right _into_ them! Bless the gods! A wide smile beamed across his face.

“I had a feeling you’d like this store,” Seto said. Atem snuggled into his side appreciatively and Seto allowed a slight uptick at the corners of his mouth before he beckoned Atem to explore the shop.

In the end Atem ended up purchasing a sweatshirt for work, a black coat for formal and black tie events, a second coat for less formal outings, and several pairs of socks. Seto purchased a coat for himself and a pair of gloves. A sales clerk went to the back wall and selected the corresponding batteries and adapters. Atem quickly changed into one of his new coats and sent his other one off with the rest of their purchases to be delivered to the mansion. He stopped a few feet out outside of the boutique and sighed contentedly as his new coat warmed up and made him feel nice and cozy. He slid his hands into his pockets and felt his fingers thaw. Seto linked their arms together and, after making sure there were no prying eyes, pressed a gentle kiss to Atem’s forehead.

“Thank you, Seto.” Atem slid his hands out of his pockets and wound his arms around Seto’s neck.

Seto pulled him into a tight hug. “Can’t have my pharaoh freezing to death. And…I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Atem raised an eyebrow.

“Because…” Seto sighed. “Because he we have to go to Sharpest Icon.”

Atem groaned into Seto’s chest. “What on earth could we possibly need in there that we can’t get anywhere else?” he asked, speech muffled into Seto’s coat.

“There’s a dart gun they have that Mokuba won’t stop talking about. He also wants a Polaroid for Christmas.”

Atem groaned again.

“I don’t want to do this any more than you do,” Seto said. “I’ll take you for falafel afterwards.”

Atem looked up at Seto through squinty eyes. “…okay.”

They parted. Seto grabbed Atem’s hand and gave it a supportive squeeze, and they grudgingly entered the store.

Atem and Seto both possessed an intense dislike of the Sharpest Icon. As flamboyant and dramatic as Seto could be, he had no use for expensive, overpriced objects that had, in his opinion, little to no use. He had no time for an electric putting machine, or a hovering football helmet display, or a $300 bean bag toss game.

Atem just found most of their items to be redundant and confusing. Why did a clock need to be shaped like a _steering wheel?_ Steering wheels belonged in cars! And why did one need a “travel sound sleep machine?” There were plenty of ASMR and white noise videos online that one could access from their phones for free. He had more important things to pack in his suitcase on the rare occasions he needed to travel.

Atem’s gaze landed on a $60 “photo vault” storage device. He wrinkled his nose upon further inspection. “Isn’t that just a flash drive?” he asked.

Seto looked at the offending piece of tech. “Yes. Looks like it’s preloaded with some sort of software that automatically finds and backs up photo files. It’s for people who don’t know how or are too lazy to locate the files themselves.” He read the specs on the display. “Pointless. There isn’t anything this thing does that a flash drive can’t do, and flash drives are more versatile. And this-“ he pointed to a portable device made specifically for portable password storage– “-is just flat-out dangerous. All someone needs to do is steal it and they have all of your personal information. Mokuba could probably hack it in thirty seconds. Fuck, even _Jounouchi_ could probably crack this thing. There are apps and programs that protect your passwords that can directly integrate into your phone or computer. Most of them are free, and have better encryption.”

“Joey’s smarter than you give him credit for,” Atem admonished.

“Doesn’t make him any less obnoxious or irritating. And I’ll believe _that_ when hell freezes over.”

“Um…” Atem pointed to a nearby TV that was broadcasting an “Extreme Ice Warning” for the evening.

“You know what I mean!” Seto exclaimed. 

They quickly made their way through the aisles of the store. Seto spotted the aforementioned dart gun and Atem found three models of Polaroid cameras to choose from. Seto bought the one with the most features, and they left the shop and made their way out to the main atrium in search of falafel. Much to Atem’s delight, they found a small mom-and-pop Egyptian restaurant that served ta’ameya falafel.

Lunch was heavenly. While it wasn’t exactly like the ta’ameya from Atem’s youth, the flavors were enough to remind him of home.

With had the rest of the afternoon ahead of them, and it was decided they’d book a private tasting at their favorite whisky bar. The owner had received some new shipments from Scotland and the United States and both Atem and Seto were eager to try them.

The variety of spicy, sweet, and smokey flavors of Seto’s vast collection was a nice compliment to the sweet wines and honey beer Atem grew up drinking and he quickly discovered he was quite fond of it. It was one of the few things besides Duel Monsters that Seto spoke of with passion, The CEO had a collection worth nearly a million dollars that included some of the rarest bourbons and scotches in existence. Atem threw himself into learning as much as he could about the spirit, and soon they had something other than dueling they could partake of together, as equals, without need for competition. It helped them to relax a bit, let their guards down little by little, and gently ease into something more comfortable and stable. They had only grown from there.

They spent two hours sampling the new arrivals, comparing and contrasting notes(Seto thought the Macallan 18 had hints of ginger, and Atem swore it was closer to toffee), and settling on what to have delivered to the mansion. They went for coffee afterwards, Seto opting for water as he was driving. He hadn’t even worked up a light buzz, but preferred to air on the side of caution.

Atem sipped happily at a latte, wrapped protectively in his new coat and Seto’s arms, listening to Seto rattle off hologram specs for the new Duel Disk model and how it would have been _really nice_ if Pegasus had given him a heads-up before just releasing a bunch of new monsters and cards because now the development team is going to have to scramble to get them rendered and integrated for the holiday release and _God_ the man has absolutely _no fucking tact_ whatsoever. Atem promised to wipe him out at the next tournament in the most calamitous way possible.

They meandered back to the parking garage hand in hand. He the hand connected to Seto’s pull back. He turned and noticed Seto had stopped in front of Royal Order.

Atem smiled. Seto did love shiny things, especially gothic, ornate shiny things with blue and black gemstones and dragons. Seto knew Atem loved to drape himself in anything gold(Pharaoh or not, some habits never die). In then end, they walked out of the store having chosen two pieces each: one for their dueling outfits, and one for more personal wear. Seto had chosen an intricate, swirled silver vine ring as his personal piece, and a brilliant fleur ring with a huge blue cubic zirconia, also in silver, for the next tournament(where he would absolutely _destroy_ Pegasus and yes, Atem promised, he would avenge him in the case of defeat, we _just_ talked about this). He bought Atem a exquisitely detailed bright gold firebird pendant with a black pavé diamond shield to wear for duels, and a smaller, gold crown pendant. As with the rest of their purchases, they would be delivered to the mansion.

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time they made it back to the car, painting the sky beautiful streaks of pink, orange, and purple. Seto checked his phone before he put the car in gear, and Atem realized that not only had he not touched it all day but he’d _never_ seen Seto ignore his phone for that long.

“Everything alright with work?” Atem asked.

“Fine. Nothing Isono or my assistants can’t handle.” He slid his phone back into his pocket. “Dinner?”

“I’d love that.”

In the privacy of the car, Seto smiled lovingly at Atem. “Where to?”

“You pick. We had my favorite today, let’s have yours.”

After a quiet dinner at Seto’s favorite steakhouse, they drove home, warm and sleepy and content. Their purchases from the day had been delivered, and they set about putting them away. They stood in front of Seto’s artfully arranged liquor collection, admiring his handiwork. From behind, Seto hugged Atem’s shoulders, and rested his chin atop Atem’s head. 

“It’s beautiful,” Atem murmured.

“ _You’re_ beautiful,” Seto replied. He placed a kiss in Atem’s backcombed hair. “You should go check the bedroom. There might be one more thing in there.”

The padded up the stairs and into the bedroom. Atem looked around but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Seto changed into bed clothes and went through his evening routine as if nothing were out of the ordinary while Atem just stared in amazement at the gorgeous Dark Magician blanket on the bed.

“It’s beautiful!” he gasped. “Where did you find this?”

“I had it custom made,” Seto said before dunking his face under the running faucet. “It has a portable heating unit, so you can take it to work and to conventions. There’s a black one in the game room too, so you don’t have to haul this one all over the house.”

Atem gently folded up the blanket and put it in the closet before finishing his own evening routine. But when he finally shed his clothes and climbed into bed, Seto had one more surprise.

The bed was _warm_! Electric blanket! Technology was wonderful!

Seto was laying on his side, watching Atem’s face light up. “Each side has its own controller, so I can turn mine off and not roast.”

“You spoil me,” Atem said for the second time that day.

“I promised your gods, and myself, that I’d take care of you.” He kissed Atem gently. Simply.

“Thank you, Seto. For today. For everything. For bringing me home.”

Seto rolled them so that Atem was lying on top, straddling his slim hips. “My motivations for bringing you back were selfish.”

“Were they really, though?” Atem grinned. “Yugi tells me otherwise. Something about the impact my absence had on the rest of the group as well.”

“Blabbermouth. Let him think what he wants.”

Atem chuckled, and trailed kisses down Seto’s neck and chest. Seto tangled his fingers into Atem’s hair, and made a failed attempt at keeping his breathing steady.

“It’s my turn,” Atem murmured, “To spoil you.”

Seto’s breath hitched when he felt a hand between his legs.

Much later that evening, Atem drifted off to sleep, sated and spent and finally warm wrapped up in the heated blanket and Seto’s arms. It was the best sleep he’d had all winter.

**Author's Note:**

> Sharpest Icon is Domino’s version of a store that rhymes with “Harper Scrimmage.” Covering my bases with since they didn’t exactly get a glowing portrayal in this story. xD 
> 
> According to Kazuki Takahashi, Atem’s favorite food is ta’ameya, or Egyptian falafel. The difference between ta’ameya and other falafel types is the type of bean that is used. Most falafel is made with chickpeas, but ta’ameya is made with fava beans. 
> 
> As for the jewelry they purchased:  
> Atem’s crown pendant: https://bit.ly/33MueOU  
> Atem’s firebird pendant: https://bit.ly/3gfg2Tu  
> Seto’s dueling ring: https://bit.ly/3gfAbJ8  
> Seto’s other ring: https://bit.ly/39P6NZ4


End file.
